Self-adjusting ship-mast



(N0 Model.)

W. LYMAN. Self Adjusting Ship Mast.

No. 241,03? I Pat ented MayS, 188s.

ilsrrno STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM LYMAN, OF MIDDLEFIELD, CONNECTICUT.

SELF-ADJUSTlNG SHIP-MAST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 241,037, dated May 3,1881.

Application filed April 5, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WVM. LYMAN, ofMiddlefield, in the county of Middlesex and State of Connecticut, haveinvented a new Improvement in Sail-Boats; and I do hereby declare thefollowing, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings andthe letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of thisspecification, and represent, in

Figure 1, a transverse section of the boat, illustrating the invention 5Fig. 2, a top view; Fig. 3, a modification.

This invention relates to an improvement in the attachment of masts ofsail-boats.

As usually constructed, the masts are rigidly set, and so as, under allcircumstances, to retain the same relative position to the boat. Theresult is, that the force of the wind upon the sails bears upon themast, tippingit out of the vertical position, and also correspondinglytips the boat.

To guard against capsizing of the boat and yet permit all the possibleforce upon the sail, center-boards are used, occupying an inconvenientportion of the boat, and frequently failing of the desired result.

The object of this invention is to prevent the unpleasant tipping of theboat; and it consists in the construction as hereinafter described, andparticularly recited in the claims.

A represents the boat, which maybe of any of the usual forms.

Immediately in front or in rear of the mast is a post, B, or otherdevice, to which the mast C is pivoted. This pivotingpoint a is bestmade a little above the deck. The foot 01 of the mast is arrangedbetween tran sverse guides c f, (see Fig. 2,) but so as to be free toslide therein.

Along the bottom of the boat two rods, g h, are arranged, and near theguide f the ends of said rods are turned at right angles to form arms gh, the opposite end of the rods being rigidlyheld. Hence if the arms 9 hbe turned they will correspondingly twist their respective rods 9 or h.These rods are of steel or other material, which, after this twisting,will return to their original condition, and this serves as springs, tobring the said arms g h back to their position. From the foot of themast a cord, chain, or similar flexible connection, 7L2, is made to theend of the arm h, and a like connection, 9 from the other side to thearm g.

The springs are of a strength to hold the foot of the mast at thecentral position against a light tipping strain upon the mast, or such astrain as would not tip the boat to any considerable extent, but so asto yield to a greater strain. Hence, when the force of the wind becomesgreater, either directly or from a change of the position of the sail,tending to a greater tipping of the mast, the spring against which thestrain comes yields and permits the tipping of the mast, withoutacorresponding tipping of the boat, to the extreme positions, either tothe right or left, as seen in broken lines, Fig. 1. The two springs takea bearing on their respective sides, or nearly so, when the mast isupright, as seen in Fig. 1. Hence, while one spring is strained or drawninward when the mast is tipped in one direction, the other spring rests,so that the springs do not act as counterbalancing each other, which, ifthey did, would leave the mast freer than desirable. Other kinds ofsprings may be applied with the same result.

The foot of the mast may be fixed in a rigid socket below and thesprings applied above the pivot. This invention, therefore, is not to beunderstood as limiting the particular arran gement of springs orpivoting of the mast.

Instead of the guides of being transversely across the boat, they may bein segment shape, as seen in Fig. 3. In this case, if the mast betipped, its foot is carried toward the stern, and the topcorrespondingly forward. This movement is advantageous in preventing theboom from striking the water, as this fore-and-at't tipping of the mastwill tend to raise the boom.

If the pivot be at the foot of the mast, the curve of the guides c fmustbe in opposite direction.

I do not broadly claim pivoting the mast so as to vibrate transversely,and provided with springs to retain it in the vertical position andpermit the mast to yield to the pressure of the wind upon the sail, assuch, I am aware, is not new; but

What I do claim is l. The combination, in a sail-boat, .of the mastpivoted so as to be tipped transversely,

with horizontal springs g h, and arms extendvertical position, butyielding under the force ing therefrom respectively, 9 h, and flexibleof the wind to tip the mast, and transverse IO connection g ]b2 betweenthe mast and said i curved guides,substantiallyas and for the purarms,substantially as described. pose specified.

2. The herein-described improvementin sail- WILLIAM LYMAN. boats andlike craft, consisting in the mast piv- \Vitnesses: oted so as to betipped transversely, combined LYMAN A. MILLS,

with springs tending to hold the mast in its WM. P. RICHARDSON.

